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outcome XM-DAC-41146-AFG_D_1.1
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan, particularly the most marginalized, can equitably access essential services that meet minimum quality standards.
During 2024, women’s access to essential services in Afghanistan across all sectors continued to be constrained . This reduced access was driven by the dire conditions of the in-country environment – characterized by multiple overlapping crises and the cumulative effects of attrition, accrued over several years of social and infrastructural fragmentation arising from deepening crisis, and the impact of restrictions imposed by the DFA, impacting service providers’ ability to operate and women’s ability to freely seek and access services. This negative impact of this dynamic was exacerbated by the promulgation of the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) Law , formally announced on 21 August 2024. This unprecedented ‘morality law’ codifies numerous restrictions previously set out in various edicts previously used by the DFA, while introducing or expanding the scope of areas of curtailment regarding women’s participation in public spaces and freedom of movement, impacting women’s access to services. The ongoing ban on secondary or tertiary education for girls/young women and the closure in late 2024 of women’s health sciences institutes further reduce the already limited economic opportunities for women, increasing the likelihood of many revering to negative coping strategies to survive. The challenging protection environment has heightened mental health crisis and psychosocial needs , particularly among women and girls, marked by increased prevalence among this group of feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and despair. [1] Women and girls continue to face heightened protection needs as a result of targeted policies which seek to restrict their movement and limit their involvement in life outside the domestic realm, with increased risks of gender-based violence . [2] Despite a decree in December 2021 prohibiting forced marriages in Afghanistan, reports show that such practices continue. 6 Women’s access to justice has also been drastically reduced , with almost no women judges, lawyers or shura members engaged in (formal and informal) dispute resolution processes, and reports of women prevented from entering courts or public offices dealing with legal affairs without a mahram , and having cases (of all types) dismissed or ignored due to perceived gender discrimination. [3] Projections for 2025 indicate that approximately 22.9 million people will require humanitarian assistance to survive (25 per cent of them women, 53 per cent children, 2 per cent elderly, and 11 per cent persons living with disabilities), due to limited capacity to meet both chronic and acute needs across Afghanistan. [4] While overall needs have decreased from those reported for 2023, needs in relation to GBV have risen – from 13.3 million people experiencing GBV-related need in 2023 to 14.2 million in 2024, reconfirming the continuing need for increased protection assistance in this regard. [5] Responding to the needs arising within this highly challenging operating context, UN Women Afghanistan continued to explore, create and expand entry points for provision of essential services to Afghan women and girls. Examples of key results achieved by the ACO under Outcome AFG_D_1.1 during 2024 are presented below. Expansion of 6 partnerships with UN entities (i.a. IOM, UNESCO, UNODC, WHO, ILO, UNOPS) and with various non-UN international organizations to leverage resources and entry points to reach more women and girls, including returnees and survivors of violence, with GBV services. Support for 75 community-based centres and non-static centres including outreach services, Women Protection Centers, Multi-Purpose Women Centers, and women-friendly spaces, an online platform, and a helpline, as well as through an integrated approach with women’s economic empowerment (WEE), moving beyond the traditional scope of Family Resources Centers, to strengthen women’s and girls’ access to services and information. Investment in 25 self-help groups providing support for those affected by GBV, increasing beneficiary access to vital support, especially in hard-to-reach areas, where groups were hosted directly in the houses of community leaders. Through these and other targeted ACO actions, a total 229,830 Afghan women and girls were supported during 2024 with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services, safe accommodation, GBV case management, livelihoods and economic empowerment support, emergence response support, legal counselling, health services, vocational training, numeracy and literacy training. Delivery of this wide variety of interventions was made possible through ACO nourishment of strong partnerships – with sister UN agencies and a multitude of international and national organizations, especially women-led and women-focused organizations – and multi-layered advocacy with the DFA. Their organizational integrity, resources and (staff) capacity buttressed by tailored ACO support, UN Women partners could successfully leverage their unique access to and connections with Afghan women at community-level, continuing provision of life-saving and essential multi-sectoral services and information despite the restrictive operating environment. [1] Ibid. [2] OCHA. 2024. Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024 . [3] UN Women, UNAMA, IOM. 2024. Summary report of countrywide consultations with Afghan women: July 2024 . [4] OCHA. 2024. Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024 . [5] Ibid.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-AFG_D_1.2
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan will benefit from an increasingly stable, inclusive, and employment-rich economy, with greater equality of economic opportunities and more resilient livelihoods, increased food production, and improved natural resources management.
In 2024, the economic outlook for Afghanistan remained highly uncertain , with the threat of stagnation looming large until at least 2025. The country remains isolated from the global economy, with continued high poverty rates and tighter restrictions on women’s economic activities. Together, these factors are holding back the Afghan economy and preventing it from tracking to a path of sustained growth. [1] If what remains of the Afghan economy is to be salvaged and growth achieved, women would need to play a pivotal role in this rebuilding process. However, participation of this group in this effort continues to be hampered, with women across Afghanistan forced to abide by increasingly restrictive written and verbal decrees and bans that limit their full economic participation . This curtailment comes in addition to Afghan women facing many distinct technical obstacles to accessing many types of employment compared to men – such as lower levels of literacy, lower mobile telephone/electronic device ownership, and lower access to the internet The bans on education for girls and women and the shrinking of the pool of jobs potentially available to Afghan women is estimated to have reduced, in the first year of DFA control of state power alone, the national gross domestic product (GDP) by 2.5 per cent (approx. US$500 million). [2] Indeed, by 2066, the Afghan economy is projected to lose an estimated $9.6 billion if the ban on women’s access to higher education remains in place. [3] The dampening of the Afghan economy occurring due to this concerted hampering of the work force participation of such a large segment of the population is being exacerbated by the extension of the ban on higher education for women to previously exempt areas of the health sector in late 2024. Within this wider narrative of underutilized and hampered labour participation, there also continued to emerge during 2024 a monumental shift in the extent to and ways in which Afghan women contribute to the national economy. While women have historically been excluded from the Afghan labour force (to varying extents), their participation has grown threefold between 2020 and 2023, with most women workers engaged in home-based activities such as garment production and food processing. [4] This is largely due to the dire economic and humanitarian situation in country, rather than a shift in social norms or attitudes or an enabling environment to women’s participation. However, the change is nonetheless marked and may lead to, among other impacts, a fundamental shift in the makeup of the Afghan labour force and modes of production in the long term. Women predominantly work for women-owned businesses. A recent survey showed that the number of firms without women employees reached 50 per cent in 2024, [5] while the number of registered women-owned and -led businesses continued to increase (to 9,162, a more than threefold increase since 2020). [6] Women-owned businesses are less resilient than firms owned by men, being 3.5 times more likely to shut down due to vulnerability shocks. [7] Afghan women also face more challenges in engaging with the DFA on issues relating to their businesses, with 60 per cent of women-owned businesses surveyed in 2024 reporting experiencing unresolved issues with the DFA. [8] The experience of gender discrimination inhibits the growth potential of women-owned and -led businesses Women in Afghanistan are less likely than men to have access to credit, loans, and financial institutions, tending to rely more heavily upon support from local friends and family members as a key source of income. Only 5 per cent of women-led small or medium-sized businesses report receiving loans from formal banks , with 61 per cent reporting receiving a loan from family. A 2024 survey showed that 70 per cent of women-led businesses surveyed operated without a licence, in the informal sector, rendering them ineligible for lending through formal financing mechanisms due to bank loan access rules. [9] Mobility restrictions limit women’s access to markets , and women-only markets have closed in many areas. Where women-only markets remain operational, mahram requirements for both buyers and sellers impose (im)practical impediments to the emergence of a healthy business climate. Against this backdrop, the ACO explored during 2024 new entry points to empower unskilled, skilled and educated Afghan women . In this pursuit, UN Women forged 20 partnerships with CSOs, international organizations, private firms and UN entities, to achieve impactful results. Examples of key results achieved by the ACO under Outcome AFG_D_1.2 during 2024 are presented below. Direct WEE support for 12,716 Afghan women , including sole traders and owners of larger businesses, through various context-responsive interventions. 5,010 women entrepreneurs operating micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) supported to develop, expand and sustain their businesses. Among those served, 600 women entrepreneurs were facilitated to access financing to start and/or scale up their business through 30 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), which generated savings of $29,138 and loans amounting to $34,314, contributing significantly to their business development. Additionally, 235 women MSME entrepreneurs were supported with e-commerce opportunities, including the creation of e-marketing platforms. 2,732 vulnerable and at-risk women reached with strengthened capacity on income-generating activities across different sectors, including handcraft, tailoring, farming, food processing and production. 4,845 women gained or retained employment opportunities as a result of UN Women-facilitated engagement with private sector firms. 129 women were trained as trainers in business, marketing, and financial education, providing them with alternative income-generation opportunities (as trainers). 5 women-only markets were supported – 3 in Bamiyan province and 2 in Balkh ­– by UN Women small refurbishment projects and solarization. Approx. 45,090 women benefited through employment directly in women-led MSMEs supported by UN Women or indirectly, through increased household income generated by women working in these MSMEs. [1] World Bank. 2024. Afghanistan Private Sector Rapid Survey (round 3) . [2] UNICEF. 2022. ‘Depriving girls of secondary education translates to a loss of at least US$500 million for Afghan economy in last 12 months.’ Press release. 14 August 2022. [3] UNESCO. 2023. Costs of continued suspension of women’s access to higher education and work in Afghanistan . [4] World Bank. 2024. Afghanistan Private Sector Rapid Survey (round 3) . [5] Ibid. [6] Haidar, A. 2024. ‘4-fold rise in number of businesswomen in 3 years: AWCCI.’ Pajhwok Afghan News. 18 January 2024; Wafeq, M. 2022. ‘Afghan Women Entrepreneurs Battle to Retain Economic Freedom.’ Just Security, 26 August 2022. [7] World Bank. 2024. Afghanistan Private Sector Rapid Survey (round 3) . [8] Ibid. [9] UNDP. 2024. Listening to Women Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan .
outcome XM-DAC-41146-AFG_D_1.3
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan can participate in an increasingly socially cohesive, gender equal, and inclusive society, where the rule of law and human rights are progressively upheld, and more people can fully, equally, and safely participate in governance and decision-making.
The women’s rights landscape in Afghanistan continued to worsen during 2024, with a tightly interwoven patchwork of DFA decrees, policies and practices systematically rolling back progress on women’s rights hard-won over decades, characterized as “gender persecution” [1] and “gender apartheid”. [2] Bearing the disproportionate impact of actions based on restrictive DFA reading of sharia law, women and girls in Afghanistan remain largely confined to the home , increasing their vulnerability to domestic violence, exploitation and abuse, and lack sufficient access to services, including access to justice to redress and deter violations of their rights. Women and girls remained excluded from education and governance , and their access to employment and infrastructure (e.g. public spaces, public transport) was severely curtailed. The ban on women accessing tertiary healthcare courses, issued in late 2024, marks further erosion in education access. Announced in August 2024, the PVPV Law codified existing decrees and edicts limiting women’s and girls’ basic human rights and freedoms, while introducing further measures, such as banning the female voice from public and public transport use without a mahram . This ‘moral law’ also targets men as well as ethnic minority groups, some of whom have traditionally been relatively open to women’s agency and leadership. All leadership positions within the DFA structure are held by males , entrenching norms of male dominance. [3] Examples of women rising within this structure are rare; and are not a substitute for legitimate, formal pathways to women’s political participation and representation. In this context, the ACO continued efforts to ensure that more women and girls can participate in an increasingly cohesive, equal and inclusive society , enacting principled ‘by women, for women’ engagement in humanitarian response and increasing the participation and voice of women in decision-making. Examples of key results achieved by the ACO under Outcome AFG_D_1.3 during 2024 are presented below, grouped by overarching area. Guiding humanitarian response Monitored the gendered impact of the DFAs bans and restrictions to provide substantive gender analysis to inform programme design (in collaboration with key partners), boosting the evidence base for aid providers to recognize the centrality of gender and protection in the crises. The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 emphasized the need to address gender issues in all aspects of the response. Promoted participation of women and women’s CSOs at all stages of the response planning process , particularly through the Women’s Advisory Group (WAG) to the HCT. The WAG played a crucial role in advancing gender equality, promoting women’s rights through amplifying women’s voices by fostering meaningful engagement with humanitarian leadership, donors and other key stakeholders, spurring broad progress. Advanced GEWE in the humanitarian response, via the GiHA WG . Leading system-wide capacity-building, the ACO enhanced stakeholder technical expertise and informed programming through gender analyses and data-driven knowledge products. Prioritizing women’s inclusion and meaningful participation throughout the programme cycle, GiHA WG advocacy significantly strengthened gender-responsive capacity, embedding gender perspectives into humanitarian actions and addressing the unique needs and rights of each beneficiary group. Advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda Amplified the voices of diverse women in Afghanistan via meaningful regular consultations (in collaboration with IOM and UNAMA), ensuring their priorities and policy recommendations influence international decision-making on the future of their state and setting a base for operationalization of the participation pillar of the WPS agenda. New methods of consultations piloted and scaled included engaging women advocates in rural areas and AI-generated digital dialogue tools in hard-to-reach areas, boosting results and providing guidance for conducting consultations in extremely restrictive contexts. The joint consultation rounds reached 3,243 women and 197 men during 2024. Supported Afghan women-led/gender-focused organizations to advance women’s rights at national and sub-national level by building community cohesion, documenting the status of women and girls, providing protection services to women human rights defenders (WHRDs), coalition-building among women and boosting the capacity of grassroots women-led CSOs. A total 64 organizations were supported by the ACO during 2024. Fostered an enabling environment for women’s leadership through protection services for WHRDs under threat, providing vital support in a context where the protection infrastructure has been dismantled. Launched the Afghan Women Tables to counter extreme exclusion of Afghan women from international decision-making, including piloting the Remesh digital dialogue tool (in collaboration with UNAMA and DPPA Innovation Cell). Facilitated Afghan women to participate in regional forums , including the Asia-Pacific Beijing+30 where 4 women participated (3 supported by the ACO, 1 supported by the ROAP) and the Central Asian Women’s Forum (2 women supported by the ACO). The ACO played a pivotal role in reintegrating Afghan women’s civil society representatives into key regional discussions, enabling Afghan women to present their views and policy recommendations to key decision makers. Held the second Expert Group Meeting on International Strategies and Tools to Address the Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan, building upon the first EGM (held in 2023) to continue the momentum to create spaces for critical policy discussions and the operationalization of normative frameworks. Strengthening institutional and organizational resilience of partners Partnered with 241 women’s organizations, providing critical financial support and programming funds, and tailored capacity-building and mentorship to ensure women-led CSOs continue to operate and navigate a complex and constrained operational environment, while increasing their capacity for long-term sustainability. Boosting communication and advocacy The Hard Talk Series advanced GEWE via six virtual dialogues, fostering cooperation and strategic partnerships among allies and champions of women’s rights, covering themes/outcomes such as: Principled vs. Pragmatic Engagement : How stakeholders can navigate accountability while maintaining relationships with the DFA. Operational Challenges and Resilience : Identifying barriers such as the atomization of donor engagement and proposing coordinated solutions. Gender Inclusion in Humanitarian Efforts : Practical measures to ensure Afghan women and girls’ participation despite restrictive environments. Gender analysis publications consolidated UN Women as thought leader and the ‘go-to’ actor for analysis on women’s rights in Afghanistan. Details of key analyses are presented in the final bullet points of the Impact 1 section above . [1] OHCHR. 2023. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. Country Reports. 15 June 2023. A/HRC/53/21. [2] References to “gender apartheid” have been made by, among others: UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres ( January 2023 ); High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell ( February 2023 ); Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett ( March 2023 ); Gehrig, M. and C Williscroft, C. 2024. Afghanistan Gender Country Profile 2024 . UN Women Afghanistan; for a more extensive list of instances of usage see footnote 41 of the Afghanistan Gender Country Profile 2024 . [3] UN Women. 2024. see page 49 of the Afghanistan Gender Country Profile 2024
outcome XM-DAC-41146-AFG_D_1.4
The UN system in Afghanistan, Member States and regional organizations effectively contribute to progress on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in Afghanistan
The challenges facing women and girls in Afghanistan are manifold and addressing these challenges is a collective effort wherein many actors are needed. As such, investments in One UN and joint international community advocacy and data remained a critical part of ACO endeavours during 2024. UN Women remained an active member of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Afghanistan. Within the framework of its coordination mandate, UN Women continued to co-chair the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group , and the Women’s Access and Female Staff Participation Working Group with OCHA, UNFPA and the Resident Coordinator’s Office. UN Women furthermore maintained its function as secretariat of the Afghan Women’s Advisory Group to the HCT and as chair of the UN Gender Theme Group (GTG) . UN Women Afghanistan also continued during 2024 to co-chair the Strategic Thematic Working Group on Gender and Human Rights , related to the Framework for International Partnership Support to Afghanistan (2023–25) of the Afghanistan Cooperation Group (ACG), sharing the chair of the most recent sitting (September 2024, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates) with the World Bank and the EU (and prior to that, USAID). Further, for the effective coordination of the UN Strategic Framework (2023-25), UN Women co-chaired (with UNHCR) the Results Group on Social Cohesion, Inclusion, Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Rule of Law (Priority 3) of the Framework. Through these various forums, building upon results achieved during 2023 and prior years, UN Women Afghanistan continued to advance realization of gender-specific initiatives for the UN system in Afghanistan. Examples of key results achieved by the ACO under Outcome AFG_D_1.1 during 2024 are presented below. Development of multiple inter-agency products through the GIHA Working Group to support a women and girl-centred humanitarian response. Networking among the GiHA WG and cross-cutting working groups and subsequent development and rollout of the Minimum Standards for Quality Programming in Afghanistan , providing technical advice and strong advocacy for protective, safer and more gender accountable programme design, planning and delivery, and ensuring that women and girls are not left behind and their voices inform the humanitarian response planning and decision-making. Various achievements via the Gender Theme Group : Secondment of Gender Equality Coordinator to the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Afghanistan, which also doubles as the GTG Secretariat – providing technical expertise and advice to the UN system and international community. UNCT SWAP , developed and finalized. UN Gender Parity Strategy produced to spur advancement on gender parity targets and fostering an enabling environment. Technical Guidance for Mainstreaming Gender into Basic Human Needs (BHN) Programming , developed to boost results in this area. Capacity and training needs assessment and development of the UN Personnel Capacity Development Plan and training materials . Training on revised technical guidance on Gender Equality Markers , provided to the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group and the GTG.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-AFG_O_1
ACO maintains principled performance and accountability to achieve its programmatic ambitions
ACO continued to embed risk management practices into daily processes through careful monitoring of risks through the various meetings, namely BCM, Sub Office meetings, PMM, RMU. In 2024, a risk assessment exercise was conducted, ensuring the addition of one more corporate risk item to the 22 risks, and ensuring all risks are relevant for the 2025 AWP period. Security was managed in line with SRM guidelines, with attendance for both the Security cell and the UNCT being done. ACO ensured proper implementation of all oversight and accountability mechanisms in 2024. This included adherence to the ICF, the DOA framework, and full participation in inter-agency initiatives to streamline business processes. Implementing partners were also supported to improve their internal control protocols in alignment with their policy, procedures, and partnership agreement.Showing 1 - 5 of 10